March 14, 2013: gun law; abortion; pot; zombies

Delegates who voted against gun law stupid

Editor:

In an old episode of Rocky & Bullwinkle, Boris and Natasha had devised a "stupid ray" that worked on everyone except Bullwinkle and the U.S. Congress.

I think we can now safely add the 94 members of the West Virginia House of Delegates who voted for the local gun law repeal bill to the list of those immune to the "stupid ray" by virtue of already being in that condition.

Kudos to Delegates Guthrie, Poore, Wells and Skinner for their courage to go against the tide.

Doug Minnerly

Charleston

Youth ignorance of abortion troubling

Editor:

Your pro-abortion editorial ("Choice: A woman's right," Jan. 24) includes the statement that "among Americans under 30, fewer than half knew what the Roe decision was about."

Interesting that, for all practical purposes, these same young Americans, for the first nine months (give-or-take) of their existence, could have been legally chosen for extermination.

How proud we should be!

Richard M. Rose

Charleston

Does life begin at conception or birth?

Editor:

When I hear "life begins at conception," as an advocate of pro-life, I readily concede this is a true statement; but I question the time of the legitimacy of life as a human being.

Following the laws of nature, conception is the catalytic force that fashions a replica of its parents in the woman's womb. An umbilical cord connects a fetus with the placenta of the mother and serves to convey food to, and removes waste from, the fetus. (Abortion is the act of expulsion of a fetus from the womb before it is viable, anything immature and incompletely developed).

To the advocates of "life begins at conception," this is sin; moreover, they consider this murder. However, since abortion is law, this act will be judged by man. If it is a sin as advocated, then it becomes a moral issue to be judged by God. As to "life," the holy book of Job lets it be known when "life begins."

Why died I not from the womb? Why did I not give up the ghost when I came out of the belly? (Job 3:11)

Did not he that made me in the womb make him? And did not one fashion us in the womb? (Job 31:15)

The spirit of God hath made me, and the breath of the almighty hath given me "life." (Born) (Job 33:4)

Born -- brought into "life" or existence by nature's laws and God's will. I, like all other men, will never have to decide on an abortion. This is only a woman's choice. She alone will bear the burden of her decision.

The 14th Amendment plainly states that any person born, not conceived, is a citizen of the United States and any state they reside in. No state shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges of citizens of the United States; nor any state deprive any person of life, liberty or property. Nor deny any person equal protection of the law.

Richard Carrico

Danville

Legalize pot and fulfill Bible prophesy

Editor:

The Bible tells us, in which all the predictions have come true, that in the last days, perilous times will come. It said that the merchants will be the great men of this earth; for by their sorceries were all nations deceived.

Sorceries in Greek or witchcraft in Hebrew refer to using drugs or the abuse of medicine. In other words, the nations will have a drug problem. It takes a drug to try to get you off of drugs.

I myself think that marijuana or any other drug will be legalized to fulfill the Bible's prediction.

Gary "Hippi" Gibson

Nitro

W.Va. should embrace its inherent zombie-ism

Editor:

Zombies are the rage right now and West Virginia could profit from this cultural shift!

Salem, Mass., has its witches, New Orleans, its voodoo and Santeria, the Northwest its Sasquatch. Why should we not have zombies?

• Entertainment. The "Buckwild" TV show, which evidently depends on portraying young West Virginians as out of control, could easily slip a zombie character into the mix.

• "Science." West Virginians, as we know, are not always pro-science, not always part of the "reality-based community," so zombie-ism would be relatively well accepted here.

But why, some dim bulbs might inquire, should West Virginia, want to become known as a zombie-friendly state? Fools! Check your dictionary under "Blarney Stone"! Here are just a few of the many tourism possibilities: A funeral parade event that would rival Mardi Gras, tours of the Legislature, reopening the "Mystery Hole," and zombie night at casinos.

It is true that some West Virginia churches might not be comfortable with the supernatural aspects of Zombie-ism, but as some counterculturalists have already noted, the celebration of Easter has some commonality with zombie lore, so a rapprochement might be possible.

And we need not worry that a zombie theme would upset the political balance of power. Given the Republican primaries (bloodthirsty and incoherent), the minority party should be comfortable. Given the Democratic penchant for finding victimized groups, they should be mollified. Zombies coming out of the closet might want to form associations -- Zombies Are People Too or the National Union of Undead People.

Indeed, in some ways West Virginia might already be on its way to being the Zombie State. Are we not always hearing that we should think outside the coffin? Move over (horrific) Vision Shared. A new idea is alive, well, and on the lurch in West Virginia!